Shelly Presence Gen4 Buying Guide: A Smarter Way to Automate Your Home Without Cameras

ShellyPresence Gen 4 Buying Guide, a smarter way to automate your home without cameras. Shelly has launched a smart home sensor designed to address one of the most persistent frustrations in home automation. The Shelly Presence Gen 4 is a millimeter-wave radar sensor that launched in North America on October 15, 2026 at $84.99. It detects human presence without cameras, including people sitting or standing relatively still. Traditional passive infrared motion sensors can struggle to detect someone sitting relatively still, such as a person working at a desk or watching television. When a sensor stops registering activity, automations may turn off lights or adjust the thermostat even when a room remains occupied. Shelly Presence Gen 4 uses millimeter wave radar to detect subtle movements, enabling more reliable occupancy detection. The sensor can detect up to 10 people simultaneously and divide its coverage area into up to 10 independently configurable zones. Different zones can trigger separate automations, such as settings for a desk, reading chair, or couch within the same room. It also generates a real-time occupancy map without capturing video footage, offering a privacy-friendly alternative to indoor cameras. Presence Gen 4 supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee and Matter and works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings and Home Assistant. It supports local control, so automations can run without a continuous cloud connection. The sensor requires continuous USB-C power and is not battery-powered. By default, only one room zone is visible to Matter-compatible platforms, and additional zones must be configured manually. At $84.99, Shelly Presence Gen 4 is most compelling for buyers planning to use its advanced capabilities, particularly in home offices and living rooms where traditional motion sensors struggle to detect people sitting still. Go to GearBrain for more information.